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All posts for the month October, 2011

This week is going to be very serious in terms of events that we have that are going to lead up to next Sunday and the sharing of the gospel. As you go about your week, there are a few things that I would like you to do…

Pray for all our events going on this week. Pray that God will lead us to the people that need to hear the radical life-changing message of the gospel.

Prepare yourself. Be ready to serve and ask the Holy Spirit to speak through you as you engage people in conversation at one of our events.

Study. In your devotion times with God this week, ask God to speak through His Word and use it to encourage, teach, inspire, rebuke, purge, wreck, transform, convict…whatever He needs to do to conform you more to the image of Jesus.

Tell your dechurched and unchurched friends and family members about our events this week and invite them to checkout FaithPoint on Twitter and Facebook. On our Facebook page, they will be able to see our Wednesday night services from Livestream and see what else is going on through our church.

We plan these events and pray over them asking God to do what only He can do and that is draw people to Himself. We are praying that God uses these events to bring many people to salvation.

It will be our privilege to come alongside these people and show them how Jesus wants us to be passionate followers of His.

Whenever God prompts you this week, whether it is on your lunch break or during your morning cup of coffee, be relentless in praying that God will be both honored and glorified by what our church is doing this week.

We refuse to be a church that is about the pastor’s glory. We refuse to be a church that is about the church’s glory. We want to always be a church that is about God’s glory and only His glory.

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Let’s just cut the crap and get right to the point. The church is great at making converts and horrible at making disciples.

Pic from Flickr by Xx.Broken_Girl17.xX

No where in the Bible are we called to make converts. We are called to make disciples. We are called to make disciplined, passionate, bold, confident, followers of Jesus.

For too long now it appears that the church has forgotten what it means to disciple its members. The church knows how to ministry. The church knows how to run programs and they do an adequate job of fund raising. The church has a pastor that knows how to share the gospel in a sermon. People are drawn to Jesus and they repent and are regenerated – made new. Then the ball stops rolling.

The fact that a new Christian has come into the Kingdom is highly celebrated. The problem is the new Christian is usually left at the altar abandoned.

No one comes alongside and empties their cup into the life of this new Christian. No one invites the new Christian into their life and home. The new Christian does not see what it looks like to follow Christ in their everyday life because they are not discipled.

It is highly possible that the new Christian left undiscipled will stay in the church and live a detached life. Sunday will never translate to Monday – Saturday. This Christian, undiscipled, may eventually teach small groups and/or possibly be in some area of leadership. At this point, you will have an undiscipled Christian leading people that are not discipled.

There is a myth in churches that needs to stop. Just because a person has been in church a long time and is old in age does not make them spiritually mature. You can be in the church for 50 years and left without anyone to disciple you, remain a toddler Christian.

There are many Christians that have been left at the altar. They don’t completely understand many facets of discipleship or Christianity for that matter. They do not need to be left to fend for themselves. They need a mentor/friend/teacher to disciple them. They need to be rescued and taught how Christ resonates in our everyday lives. They need to see what it looks like for real disciples to raise their children. They need to see what it looks like for a real man to really love his wife.

When the church has more disciples, a cycle will begin. Disciples will make disciples that make disciples. Silly arguments will begin to disappear. Churches will begin to think more on how they can share the gospel and less about the color of the carpet or the style of music.

Empty your cup into the life of someone that needs to be discipled. Pour into them. Let them into your life. Let them see Jesus in your everyday life.

There is no step by step plan for this. The only way to do it is to do it.

If you have never discipled a person before, now would be a great time to start.

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The title for this sermon is The Danger of False Prophets. Our text is Acts 8:9-25 and 2 Timothy 4:1-4.

vs 9-10 Simon was a magician. Less Criss Angel more Harry Potter. Magicians could predict the future. They kept scrolls and books with spells in them. These magicians would use special incantations, they would call on the names of gods and demons. They would use potions, magical objects, amulets, bowls and figurines.

Simon claimed to have divine power. Early church writers said that he claimed to be Messiah, angel, or a prophet. He was not trying to reform their lives or push them to be more devoted to Jesus.

It is likely that Satan sent Simon to Samaria to undo the work that Jesus had already done in that city.

The people revered Simon and said his powers were from God. These people were ignorant in knowing who God really is. These people were infatuated with Simon. They gave him the power and authority to influence them. So, they would rather believe a lie than the truth.

vs 13 The text says that Simon believed. Is this a true conversion? Not likely. Why?

vs 14-17 The apostles went to see if the people were truly regenerated or just faking it.

vs 18-25 Simon tries to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter confronts him and rebukes him harshly.

The Bible deals strictly and harshly with false teachers. There is language used such as dogs, brood of vipers, white washed tombs, wolves, etc.

The Bible even says that the converts of false teachers will be twice the children of hell that they are.

Your responsibility – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Weigh, measure what you hear from any biblical teacher. Run that through the filter of Scripture. Sola Scriptura. Scripture is our highest authority. It is God’s Holy Word. It will never lead you astray.